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How to Clean a Mirror

Mirror cleaning is one of those tasks that begs to be hired out, a lot of work only to end up with a mess of streaks that catch the light and make it look as if you just made it worse!

Cleaning mirrors weather in your bathroom, on a wall or on your coffee table; is about having the right tools and technique. The right tools make all the difference for streak free mirrors!

First the Tools You’ll Need:

Filtered Water

Good Quality Spray Bottle

Clean Rag

Quality Microfiber cloths one general use and one window cloth

The Technique

Use filtered and softened water if available. You want to clean with the best possible ingredients by filtering and removing the minerals from hard water. Professionals use reverse osmosis or dionized water to clean.

Vinegar is one of those all-purpose ingredients that’s tough to live without. It’s as great on a salad as it in on your mirror, and it costs practically nothing. I really like to clean with vinegar when surfaces are have glue to remove or some deodorization is needed.

Whether you’re out of your usual glass cleaner or you’re just looking for a cheaper option, vinegar can do wonders for your windows and mirrors. A vinegar-water solution (50/50) works great — just spray or wipe it on like you would any other cleaner.

The smell will stick around for a bit, so if the smell of pickles isn’t your favourite, stick with your filtered water. You can always use the vinegar outside with the extra fresh air.

There’s nothing like a bunch of suds to leave your glass full of streaks. This isn’t a problem if you’re using vinegar or straight filtered water as a cleaner — no soap there. But if your glass coffee table is truly dirty I recommend using an all-purpose cleaner that is safe and effective, we use UltraOne.

It doesn’t take much soap to get rid of that dirt, and using too much will result in an overly dense cleaner that can leave a streaky residue on the glass.

And speaking of residue: It’s perhaps the biggest glass-cleaning mistake so many of us make.

You know that bucket of glass-cleaning supplies you carry through the house when it’s window day?

There should not be a roll of paper towels in it. Or for that matter Newspaper, unless you want to take a break on the porch.

Paper towels leave not only streaks, but linty ones. Instead, go for a microfiber cloth, a squeegee.

Finally, the finishing touch.

Even if you do exactly the right things, you can still end up with a streak or three. In that case, the simplest solution is to finish the job with a quick buff.

A chamois or a microfiber cloth is best, although a regular rag will do. Keep it dry, and just buff over the glass when you finish cleaning it. You’ll find those streaks just disappear.

Regularly maintaining your mirrors makes the job a lot easier. The less dirt and grime your mirrors accumulate, the less time you’ll spend cleaning them a quick wipe with your microfiber cloth and you’re on your way.